Book reviews, opinions, musings and ramblings. General bookish excitement!

Archive for the month “July, 2014”

Some books change your life. They change the way you see the world. They do this not only with the story as a whole, but sometimes with an idea, a beautiful phrase, or even a word, that resonates with you the way nothing has before.

Sensational Quote Sunday is my way of paying homage to those books that remind me every day why I love reading.

Today, I’m highlighting a quote from The Magicians by Lev Grossman. One of the hardest things for me to deal with in Grossman’s wonderful novel was our perpetually underwhelmed protagonist, Quentin. He spent most of the book discovering new worlds – discovering that magic was a thing, for goodness’ sake – and remaining not quite impressed. He was always looking for that (excuse me) magical solution to all his feelings of aimlessness and failure, and it took him a long time to realise that there’s no fix it. There’s no easy out. There’s just growing up.

I admired The Magicians for not shying away from such a frustrating, such a true perspective. And I particularly admire Lev Grossman’s turns of phrase, which elevated his work to an impressive height.

I’m going to start providing summaries at the top of my reviews, for those who want the TL:DR version. Behold:

“Oh my god just tell me what is happening!” – my brain the whole way through The Maze Runner.

I defy you to read this book slowly. I couldn’t wait to get to the end, although that was mainly so I could have some idea of what just happened! It’s a great YA adventure story, aimed squarely at teenage boys, and a good read for anyone who wants an unputdownable tale.

I was infuriated by the first few chapters of The Maze Runner. Without ceremony, you’re dropped straight into a confusing world full of teenage boys, living in a place called The Glade in the middle of, apparently, a giant maze. Would you have questions? Because both I and our protagonist, Thomas, had A LOT of questions. Such as:

– WHAT?
– Where is this place? WHAT is this place?
– Why am I here?
– Who am I? How can it be that I know my name and understand concepts but I know nothing about my history?
– WHY ARE WE IN A GIANT MAZE?
– Seriously, WHAT?? Let Me Feet Hit the Ground Running: